Russia has just raised the stakes again in the Ukraine war – and this time, it is tying any hope of peace talks to a major concession from Kyiv. Vladimir Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov now says there will be no resumption of trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States unless Kyiv takes what Moscow calls “one serious step” on Donbas. That “step”, according to Russian officials, means the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the contested Donbas region – a demand Kyiv has repeatedly rejected. This comes after warnings for foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv and speculation that Russia could be preparing a new offensive against the Ukrainian capital, even as a two-day Victory Day ceasefire was announced. At the same time, President Volodymyr Zelensky is accusing Moscow of systematic looting across occupied Ukrainian territories, including plans to extract and export key minerals such as titanium, lithium and graphite, alongside the ongoing seizure of Ukrainian grain. With the ceasefire fragile, attacks reportedly continuing, and Donbas and resources at the core of the dispute, the path to any real peace deal looks more uncertain than ever.
